Empathy
Empathy is the ability to read and feel exactly what another person is feeling, and for the same reasons, without direct contact with them. It can be channeled through the hands or eyes, the latter being the most common way to use the power. It's very versatile and vast in nature, with many abilities stemming from it. Both Phoebe and Prue have only shown aspects of the power, never it's entirety. Control over the Power Usually, in the early stages of gaining this power, it's very uncontrollable and most users receive empathic vibes automatically. They can be overwhelmed by the emotions and feel compelled to act them out. As one embraces their gift, they will gain control over it and will be able to turn it on or off at will. If the empathic energy is strong enough, users will automatically receive an empathic hit, overriding their control and will. Reading Emotions Users simply activate their power an concentrate on the person or creatures (ie) dragons, who's emotions they want to read. You can also read the intent or desire behind emotions, and know exactly what a person wants or truly desire.As witnessed in the season 6 episode "Forget Me...Not". Other begins with malevolent intent will worried when they are around you; due to the fact that the you can find out any secrets that they are trying to keep hidden.As witnessed in the season 6 episode "Valhalley of the Dolls, Part 1". As your empathic range expands, you will be able to read, sense and maintain contact with beings from within a vast city wide distance, and in between dimensions.As witnessed in the season 6 episode "Forget Me...Not". You will also be able to hear thoughts and feel emotions, like a telepath.As witnessed in the season 3 episode "Primrose Empath". As emotions are your tools, if you are even trapped in an alternate reality created by desires, you will be able to escape by channeling your desires into a desire to escape. The only way someone can block you from reading their emotions is with an empathy blocking potion. However, it's hard to make as the ingredients are extremely rare. The effects of the potion is temporary, because as your range expands you will be able to break through the effect and read their emotions. Chris and the sisters used the potion to temporarily block their emotions. Mordaunt found a way to block his feelings an in-effect his true intentions from being read, mostly likely by using the potion. Cal Greene did not take anything to block the power, but on one occasion, his feelings could not be read.As witnessed in the season 9 comic "Morality Bites Back". Abilities within the Power Empathic Healing Empaths have a unique healing ability. They are said to be able to use their power to heal people, by using their intimate knowledge of what the person is feeling or has gone through and offering them advice or comfort. They may also possess the whitelighter form of Healing , to heal physical wounds with their hands. Father Thomas told the sisters that he tricked Vinceres, by laying his hands on him as if to heal him, but gave him his powers instead. Power Channeling The ability to manipulate the powers of others, by controlling and using them as if you copied the power. As powers are tied to emotions, channeling powers through empathy works by feeling the same emotion that others feel, and then accessing their powers to deflect them, or temporarily use them as if the power was your own. Users can channel powers through their hands or with the power of their mind. This is one of most powerful ability stemming from empathy. Power Replication The ability to temporary copy the powers of others and use them as if the power was your own. Copying powers through empathy works by feeling the same emotion that others feel, and then accessing their powers to copy and use them. Phoebe can use her empathy power to copy other peoples power, as well as manipulate other people's power in a number of different ways. Power Resistant The ability to endure/resist the effect of lethal powers from other magical beings. Your endurance is activated as soon as you start channeling a power, the channeled power will then have next to no affect on you. Phoebe is highly resistant, as she is a powerful witch. However, with empathy she gained a more powerful version, as she can resist and endure any power she channels.As witnessed in the season 6 episode "Valhalley of the Dolls, Part 2". This is the most useful ability stemming from the power. Power Augmentation The ability to increase the strength of your own powers by channeling a massive amount of emotions into them, which will advance your powers and make you stonger. Prue's powers advanced when she temporarily gained the gift. Her Telekinesis power advanced to a point were Vinceres, a demon who was immune to witches magic, was no longer immune to it. It also allowed her to perform gravity-defying maneuvers, and evolved her Astral Projection power into Cloning. It's the most desirable ability stemming from the power. Strength and Control Empathy_001.jpg|Reading a Dragon's emotions 6x18phoebe4.jpg Empathy10.jpg|Sensing reasons behind emotions Empathy09.jpg 6x09phoebe5.jpg 6x03phoebe7.jpg 6x03phoebe8.jpg 6x03phoebe9.jpg 6x16Phoebeempathy.jpg|Sensing from the ghostly plane This power has been shown having varying strength, depending on the user. As a person grows stronger their empathic range will expand. However, having a greater strength and control of this power is only developed by Empath's born with the gift and those destined to have it. Phoebe, a destined empath, has shown that her empathic gift is very strong. while at home, she felt a large empathic burst of pain and fear from people within the city, who were being attacked by a dragon. While confronting the dragon, she used her power read the creature's emotions. Later, she used it to sense and feel her sister Piper, who was on a different plane of existence, the ghostly plane. She would also be able to sense if her sister was dead''Though this may also be supported by their sisterly bond., even if she wasn't there or even on the same plane. Phoebe meditates to control her gift and is the only witch that can use it to control and replicate other people's powers. As her power grows stronger she will eventually gain every ability within it. Insanity and Demons It can drive a person insane if they are not destined to have it, as it's a psychic ability, which requires the user to be mentally strong. Demons can never gain this power naturally, due to the fact that they can't handle human emotions. It would destroy them or eventually drive them insane. Prue accidentally received this power from the powerful demon Vinceres through the use of a spell. Although she was fine with it at first, eventually, as it's range expanded, she was unable to control it developing to the point where she was constantly taking in the emotions of the entire city. However, with the help of a former empath, Father Thomas, she was able to get a grip on the incoming emotions, channelling them into her other powers in order to help her battle Vinceres. Spell To Release an Empath from his Gift :Free the Empath, :Release his gift, :Let his pain be cast adrift. *(It is important that when casting the spell there is no physical contact with the Empath as the power will transfer in the caster of the spell ("Primrose Empath").'' List of Users Notes *It can be used in a defensive and passive capacity and is the second most formidable power Phoebe possess. *Phoebe is the only known person to develope the evolved and formidable form of this power, Pathokinesis. * Chris revealed that there is a potion to block an empath from reading them. The potion is hard to make since it requires a Kotochul egg which can be found in Swamp Land ("Love's a Witch"). * Two sound effects were used for Phoebe's Empathy. A light jingle sound was usually used, however in "Used Karma" a much louder ringing sound is used when she uses it to channel powers. See Also * Empath * Telepathy * Pathokinesis References Category:Powers Category:Powers